


A Cure for

by chickenfried



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Drabble, Major Illness, Multi, No Mick Rory for whatever reason, Unrequited, too many tags for too short a story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-09 21:35:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6924325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chickenfried/pseuds/chickenfried
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>STAR Labs opened purely as a research institute and still, none of the people being treated there could truly be considered "patients"</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Cure for

Tess Morgan is one of those people that you think only exist on daytime tv. Smart, beautiful, and even more kind, but what makes Lisa really like her is that despite her calm competence, she flounders in the face of social niceties and tact. Her husband is the one that deals with the more business sides of STAR labs and he's a decent kind of guy, the kind Lisa can tolerate.

It's strange to discover at thirty-five that there are people with these kinds of lives, it's shockingly clear that there are no skeletons in their closet and it almost makes Lisa uncomfortable. The sheer normality of their happy, healthy lives.

 

STAR Labs opened purely as a research institute and still, none of the people being treated there could truly be considered "patients". Len had been following their doings with the avid interest of someone who actually understood what was happening, before he had any personal reason too. When Lisa finally told him her diagnosis he somehow got them a consultation with the head of "acquisitions".

Hartley Rathaway is a giant asshole. He spends their entire meeting flirting aggressively with her brother while simultaneously forcing Lisa to spill her guts about every little ache and pain over the past six months, all the predictions and assumptions the Doctors had told her with pitying faces, that she _hadn't wanted Lenny to know_.

Aggressive. Hereditary. Unrepeatable.

She doesn't look at him, keeping a glare fixed on the snobby nerd in front of her. So she doesn't have any warning for Lenny dumping a giant stack of cash on the table. The asshole's jaw drops.

"I've read all of Dr. Snows research, you are going to help us."

"What the fuck."

 

As it turns out, the entire place is staffed by socially awkward weirdos. Lisa's Doctor is her favorite. Caitlin Snow looks too young to be an expert in anything, but Lisa figures she doubled up on Science and Medicine instead of learning any kind of bedside manner. It makes her hate the place a little less.

She spends most of her time joking with her nurse- "actually, I'm the head of Engineering"- Cisco, enjoying the offended faces Caitlin- "It's Doctor Snow"- pulls at him for flirting with her.

"So, were you some kind of mob boss?"

"I was a truck driver."

"What."

Caitlin's shock takes some of the sting out of the past tense. She smirks.

"We can't _all_ be Doctors."

 

Lisa isn't sure what Barry Allen's position is at the company, but he is almost universally loved by the staff, even Hartley Rathaway. Of course Lenny manages to pick a fight with him the first time they meet, and subsequently spends the majority of his time visiting in a strange game of vaguely flirtatious one up man-ship.

 

The chemo starts immediately, a way to save time. It attacks the cancerous cells, a gift from her mother, like her eyes, nose, and the crippling sense of loss she tries to ignore.

 

Despite the informal nature of treatment, they have a weekly group therapy. The therapist is a volunteer, apparently Allen's sister. For a professional shrink she, like her brother, is surprisingly likable. One of the other girls- Sara, Lisa doesn't know or want to know why she's there- is a kindred spirit and Lisa introduces her to Lenny off the bat. There is a lot of speculation and melodrama involving Barry and Lenny before Sara's (ex?)girlfriend and (ex?)boyfriend get into a very loud and public fight over medical bills.

Sara apparently had been unaware of the bills in the first place and wasn't too happy about that fact. Lisa knows what it's like to have nothing, to work for something, and how to take. She's relearning how to be helpless- it's one of the things she and Sara have in common.

The (ex?)girlfriend ends up hiding in Lisa's room. And Lisa knows what happens to people with faces like that too- faces that beg, "please love me". It's no skin off her nose to pretend to be asleep while the other woman sobs quietly.

Its a relief when Sara's sister comes, a friend of the ex (girlfriend), but it makes her think of Lenny. Her brilliant big brother.

Who was going to take care of him?

 

It's been a nice distraction- riling up Dr. Snow, getting to see all her cute offended expressions, but Lisa feels tired today.

"If you think that just because your brother has some kind of under the table deal with Dr. Wells, that gives you the right to bother Cisco-"

"I'm gay."

Dr. Snow's eyebrows scrunch together, and Lisa watches her expression fall from her knee-jerk irritation to open mouthed surprise. Lisa thinks she should probably feel something, but her head is empty. Dr. Snow is beautiful, when she's angry and exasperated, when she's focused and serious and telling Lisa she's probably going to die, when her eyes are wide with shock, lips still parted. Lisa doesn't know why she smiles.

"Oh."

 

Allen and Lenny get closer and Lisa isn't jealous per say. She loves her brother, loves herself, along with some of the questionable decisions they've both made. Before, Lisa had always been incredibly grateful to have Len as he is, two people who care for and truly understand each other. And she always has wanted the best life for her brilliant big brother, but only now does she want something like this for him. Something healthy, "normal".

 

A week after she comes out Lisa sees Ronnie for the first time. Cisco is over flowing with information to share about Caitlin's _fiance_. He's in the Navy, deployed more often then not, but also kind, hardworking, incredibly in love with the good Doctor. He's a cute, decent kind of guy. The kind Lisa can't stand. And its so dumb, when her hair's all falling out, to care that the hot Doctor is getting married.

 

Sara gets better. Scandalizing the entire building, and maybe the entire city, she moves in with Oliver Queen and his _wife_ , a different beautiful blonde.

Cisco drags Lisa and consequently Lenny, to the party. Lisa is designated his wingwoman for the night- the target being Sara's sister, the lawyer. Allen is there as well and it's easy to manipulate Lenny into a deal.

Nyssa and Laurel are surprisingly gracious at being interrupted and Nyssa doesn't seem to mind being dragged behind a curtain to spy on two strangers. Lisa is charmed to discover that Nyssa has freckles, and Nyssa doesn't mention that Lisa has lost all of the good looks and youth she once had. Lisa ends up having a good time even though half of her attention is on Caitlin and Ronnie are stuck to each other like glue.

 

Of course Caitlin ends up saving Lisa's life. She's a genius with state of the art equipment and a stubborn streak a mile wide.

Unfortunately those qualities can't do anything to help someone on the other side of the country, bleeding out with a septic stomach wound. Lisa wishes it could have been her.

 

Lisa invites Nyssa on a road trip and she agrees.

 

When Caitlin starts dating again- another cute, decent kind of guy- Lisa isn't in love with her anymore.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know, man. Review if you want.


End file.
